Bob Barr on War & Peace

Iraq won’t collapse when we leave; start leaving now

Barr is upset about the Iraq war and believes the U.S. needs to start pulling troops out. “I have a lot more confidence in the Iraqi government and society than our administration,” he said.
Barr said he does not believe that after so many years of our intervention Iraq would collapse in sectarian violence as soon as American troops leave.

Source: 2008 Third Party debate, in Lorain County Chronicle-Telegram
, Oct 19, 2008

America is not an occupying power

“John McCain apparently believes that the U.S. should be a permanent occupying power in Iraq, but that is not and never has been America’s purpose,” says Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. Sen. McCain announced that when
US forces come home is “not too important.”

Ending the occupation obviously is important to the Iraqi people, who have been protesting reports that the Bush administration is seeking more than 50 permanent bases. “And ending the occupation is important
to the American people, who are spending $3 billion a week and losing soldiers daily in the midst of factional fighting in Iraq,“ Barr insists.

Barr says. ”We need a quality military focused on defending American sovereignty, liberties, and interests,
backed by accurate intelligence, and ready to strike decisively against genuine threats. We should not be occupying other nations and attempting to build other societies, whether into our image or anyone else’s,“ he added.

Don’t rush to make new anti-terrorism laws

Skeptical members of Congress complained that Ashcroft is trying to force the anti-terrorism package through Congress without giving lawmakers time to adequately digest proposals that could have serious, unforeseen consequences for rights that
Americans now take for granted.

“Why is it necessary to rush this through?” asked Rep. Robert Barr. “Does it have anything to do with the fact that the department has [unsuccessfully] sought many of these authorities on numerous other occasions, and
now seeks to take advantage of what is obviously an emergency situation to obtain authorities that it has been unable to obtain previously?“

Ashcroft said the administration wants Congress to act now on its ”modest set of proposals“ in light of what he
said was the very real possibility that terrorists are planning additional attacks.”Each day that so passes is a day that terrorists have an advantage,“ Ashcroft said. ”We are today sending our troops into the modern field of battle with antique weapons.

Voted YES on disallowing the invasion of Kosovo.

Vote on an amendment to the "Kosovo and Southwest Asia Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act" which would prohibit the use of funds for any invasion of Yugoslavia with U.S. ground forces except in time of war.